The Acoustic Archaeology of Ancient Sites

'In the world of our Stone Age ancestors sound mattered much more than it does today. Their world was quieter, less polluted by noise. They were acutely aware of the properties of all types of rhythm and resonance and sounds often held magical qualities for them. Recent exciting research has started to reveal the rich sound-world in which they lived. This new approach to investigating ancient sites is known as acoustic archaeology. It is reconstructing a vanished aspect of the past, often using computer modelling and sophisticated equipment to calculate frequencies and resonances and has demonstrated that stone-built chambers, temples and even caves were deliberately constructed or used in ways that would enhance the ritual sounds produced within them, sometimes accompanied by the use of hallucinogenic substances. In the process it is exposing the very origins of music and revealing a lost world where echoes were regarded as the voices of the spirits.